As summer begins to come to a close, we are happily reflecting on this past summers Vegan Permaculture Design Course at Wild Earth. It was an amazing time, as usual, to have so many wonderful people here. This course draws people in who are looking to create the future they envision, and the content provides many tools to make that happen. It can be disheartening at times to feel hopeless in a world that seems bent on negative action, but when people gather together who know that it is not enough to speak about the worlds problems, but necessary to build the future that is needed to address the issues. The hard work to build resilient, peaceful, and abundant communities is needed so that when people ask how, we have as many examples as possible to say, this is how...

We had 12 days together to learn through a mix of class time and outside action time about earthworks, water catchment and use, gardening and harvesting, planting annuals and perennials, composting, non violent communication, alternative means of capital, forest gardening, design process, foraging, observation and action, regenerative food growing, and many other topics. We'd love for you to join us next time around!

It was our pleasure to contribute to the world and to the growing community doing vegan permaculture. Here's to building many more relationships and community connections!

Many thanks to our friends Graham Burnett and William Faith for leading this amazing event. Also many thanks to Heather Patrick, Anna Durrett, Bob Hattier, Christina Verna, and Marisa Overton for being a part of the team at Wild Earth and making it all possible.

At the end of 2015, we planted our first trees out that will eventually be feeding us, the animals here, and the community. About 50 trees and shrubs were planted which were a mixture of Wild Plum, Elderberry, Blackcurrant, Persimmon, Heartnut, Butternut, Pecan, Apricot, and Aronia. It was a very fun and sunny early winter day with family and friends!

This year we will be adding to the assortment with Raspberry, Blackberry, Hardy Kiwi, Nanking Cherry, Gooseberry, Maypop, Goji, Hardy Almond, Quince, Maple, grafted Apple and Pear, and additional varieties of Persimmon, Pawpaw, Blackberry, Raspberry, Blackcurrant, and a few others.

At the end of June last year, we hosted the first Vegan Permaculture Design Course to take place in the United States. Our friends Graham Burnett of Spiralseed and William Faith of Genius Loci Permaculture led the 13-day full design course at Wild Earth. Students spent time in the classroom and also outside learning through hands-on experience. The course is full of many lessons in designing our lives to be in line with our values of ecologically sound living. This included growing our own food from gardens to food forestry, solar and renewable energy options, community building and designing our lives around alternative economic models, and many lessons based on observation of the patterns and details of the ecosystems around us.

This October we are offering several workshops starting with the Vegan Permaculture Design Course on October 1, with the same lineup of instructors. All the details for this course can be found at here. Our first Alumni Harvest Gathering will follow the PDC, which is a fun-filled gathering of everyone who has been involved with Wild Earth including family, friends, past students, volunteers, and neighbors. During the day there will be small workshop presentations based on topics we find interesting and valuable. This year we will be looking at topics such as "Designing Your Life in Permaculture", "Yoga for Gardening or Farming", and several others. On October 15th and 16th, Willie Crosby with Fungi Ally will be leading a 2-day Mushroom Cultivation Workshop. The October coursework culminates with a special collaboration with Mark Shepard who will be leading his 3-day Restoration Agriculture Course within the framework of veganism as well as a farmed animal sanctuary!

We hope to see you at the farm in October!

Joe Kilcoyne

Co-Founder Wild Earth Farm and Sanctuary

Wild Earth Farm is an LLC that operates to provide educational courses and farm products.

We've been busy here on the farm! Joe and I have been traveling throughout Kentucky, and to Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, speaking on subjects as diverse as composting, permaculture, factory farming, and voluntary vs coercive relationships as part of our outreach campaign.

If you’re going to be in the Lexington area on October 1, be sure to come by and say "hi" to us at our table at the first annual Lexington Veg Fest! We’ll be doing a talk on "Why Vegan Farming?"

Since our founding 2 1/2 years ago, Wild Earth has transformed an old tobacco and cattle farm into a vegan permaculture oasis. Lawn and hay fields have been replaced with more than 10,000 square feet of no-till, organic annual gardens (enriched by our very own veganic compost), and dozens of fruit and nut trees and berry bushes form the makings of our first food forest. An abandoned church on the property has been completely transformed by hard-working interns and volunteers into a cozy classroom for on-farm educational programs, and guest and intern housing.

Wild Earth Sanctuary gained nonprofit status earlier this year and is proud to have provided forever homes to abandoned dogs, ducks, and potbellied pigs. Will you help us raise the money we need to build barns for new animals and hire our much-needed first employee? Every bit helps! Show your support by donating to the campaignhere.

There are non-financial ways you can support our work too. We’re always looking for interns and volunteers. You can even volunteer from the comfort of your own home! Clickhere to sign up. We take material donations as well. View a full list here.

Louisville Vegan Jerky Company is featuring us as their Sanctuary of the Month! Check out the contest they are running right now as a promotion for the donation. They choose an animal sanctuary to donate to every month and we think that is pretty cool.

Thank you Louisville Vegan Jerky!

Vegan jerky delivery!

They are offering some big discounts and helping raise funds for the sanctuary, all while including a cute picture of Henry!

Sierra is an aspiring veterinarian and environmental advocate and we are lucky to have her compassionately caring for our sanctuary animals and working hard, getting our 10,000 square feet of organic no-till gardens into tip-top shape!